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*BySPHLdefinition, Vets are players who have 224 or more professional games played. Each team is allowed up to﻿3 vets on their roster. All 3 vets have to have a combined total of less than900games played﻿.﻿

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Looking good Marksmen, you can list David Gandara in red. He called into Greg Roberts show he was always on and said he was hanging the skates up. Probably Nick Schneider too. Unless some how he changes his mind about retiring.

Microz Eaters has put his hand on attacker Matthew (Matt) Beer. Matt, born on April 20, 1990 (28 years) is right-handed and is 183 cm with 93 kg clean on the hook.

Matt moved to Morrisville State College in the NCAAIII after junior A teams in SJHL / CHL / NOJHL. (American College division). After 4 seasons in the NCAAIII, he was picked up in 2015 by the Mississippi RiverKings playing in the SPHL (Southern Professional Hockey League), SPHL is also the division where the last Canadian import Adam Hartley played for his move to Geleen.

Since 2015 Matt has been in the so-called. Minor Pro Leagues SPHL and the Federal Hockey League (FHL) played. After wandering between the Port Huron Prowlers, Mississippi RiverKings and the Carolina Thunderbirds, the attacker played the biggest part for the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs in the SPHL last season. For the coming season 2018/2019 Matt was already on the so-called "protected-list" of Roanoke, other teams in the SPHL (outside of Roanoke) could not contract him.

After extensive scouting, consultation, and assessment within the technical staff, we are also pleased that Matt has chosen the Microz Eaters Limburg, which immediately becomes his 1st European club.

It should be clear that the current technical staff in the selection of its imports for the coming season have not gone overnight. Matt is a strong and experienced all-round player who can handle both the center and rightwing. He reads the game, with a good and quick shot with which he manages to find the "soft" spots at the goalie.

Also, given his age and experience, he will be a welcome addition to the locker room. Matt Beer is definitely an asset to the Microz Eaters Limburg and will play with # 90.

Agreed, i'm still not getting discouraged. Just hoping we get good news of Steve Mele to keep playing. He will be the hardest one to replace. Him, Joe Sova, and Brad Barone. But i'm already preparing myself for Barone finding a job in a higher league. Would be nice if we can steal a few players from Mississippi. Maybe Sova or Barone will recruit a few to Roanoke since they played there before here.

ROANOKE, VA – The Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs announced on Thursday that 2017-18 All-SPHL second team forward and team leading scorer Steve Mele has signed an agreement to return to the team for training camp. It will be Mele’s sixth professional season and third in Roanoke.

“Steve brings a high-level skill set to Roanoke,” said Rail Yard Dawgs coach Dan Bremner. “His combination of grit and talent makes him one of the premiere players in this league.”

Mele led the Rail Yard Dawgs with 22 goals and 37 assists in the 2017-18 season and was named to the All-SPHL second team, his first career postseason honor. He was also the only Roanoke player to appear in all 56 games as well as each of the two postseason games. The 28-year old center set career highs in goals, assists and points and finished seventh in the league in scoring.

“With Steve coming back for another year we know we have a solid foundation for this team to build around,” said Bremner.

Mele originally joined the Rail Yard Dawgs as their second selection in the 2016 SPHL expansion draft. He wore an ‘A’ on his sweater as an alternate captain for each of the past two seasons. A native of Bronx, NY, Mele is the first player to sign on for training camp for the 2018-19 season.

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I hear Max Guyon has been invited to training camp by Brampton of the ECHL.

Glad he’s getting a shot in the ECHL but hate that he might not be playing for Roanoke this season. Do you think he will be there long term if he makes the team? I think his size gives him a disadvantage even though he is very skilled.

Glad he’s getting a shot in the ECHL but hate that he might not be playing for Roanoke this season. Do you think he will be there long term if he makes the team? I think his size gives him a disadvantage even though he is very skilled.

His size might be a disadvantage, but I think if he consistently lights the lamp like he has so far in the FHL and SPHL someone will pick him up to do the same for them in the ECHL. He might not make a roster on opening night but as soon as injuries and teams who can't score much need to change up the lineup i'm sure they will be looking for someone like him putting up good numbers.

ROANOKE, VA – The Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs announced on Friday that forward Michael Economos has been signed and will join the team for training camp in October.

“I am very excited to have Michael joining the Rail Yard Dawgs,” said Roanoke head coach Dan Bremner. “He plays an absolutely fearless style of game that Dawgs fans will love and opponents will hate to play against.”

Economos spent the 2017-18 season with the Peoria Rivermen and totaled 11 goals and eight assists in 48 games. He also registered 109 penalty minutes thanks in part to 11 fighting majors, the second-most in the league.

“I believe that with his style of play and his ability to create offense around the net, he will become a dominant player in the SPHL,” said Bremner.

The 26-year-old winger played four seasons of college hockey at Plymouth State University and served as the Panthers’ captain during his senior season in 2016-17. He finished his college career with 50 goals and 45 assists in 109 games and made his pro debut with the Knoxville Ice Bears in 2016-17, notching two goals and an assist in 12 games.

ROANOKE, Va. – The Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs announced on Wednesday two additions to the team’s 2018-19 training camp roster. Forward Colin Murray and defenseman Brian Rowland have signed agreements to return to Roanoke for camp in October.

Murray has spent parts of each of the last two seasons skating for Roanoke. He appeared in 35 games with the Dawgs in 2017-18 and scored 15 goals to go with six assists. Murray also managed to net the first postseason goal in franchise history against the Peoria Rivermen on April 11.

“Colin made an immediate impact on and off the ice when he returned to Roanoke last February,” said Rail Yard Dawgs coach Dan Bremner. “He is a dominant power forward and a great leader. I’m excited to see what he can do with a full year in Roanoke.”

The 6’4 winger also appeared in 14 games in the ECHL in the 2017-18 season between the Wheeling Nailers and Kalamazoo Wings and notched two assists. He has spent the majority of his pro career in the ECHL with 133 of his 185 games coming in that league.

Rowland rejoins the Dawgs for his second pro season. He appeared in 16 games in 2017-18 and had one assist around an injury that sidelined him for the majority of the year. Rowland played his college hockey at Norwich University where he and the Cadets won the 2016-17 NCAA Division III national championship.

“It was great getting Brian back into the lineup just before playoffs last year,” said Bremner. “He is a smart player and can be relied on in all situations. I’m looking forward to seeing what he is capable of going into the season healthy.”

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Norfolk, Va. – The Norfolk Admirals, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Arizona Coyotes, have signed defenseman Balazs Goz for the 2018-19 season.

Goz, 25, returns to the Admirals after splitting last season between Norfolk, Roanoke of the Southern Professional Hockey League and DVTK Jegesmedvek in Hungary. He tallied three assists, in 30 games with the Admirals after joining the team in late December.

A native of Miskolc, Hungary, Goz appeared in 210 games for Miskolci Jegesmedve and DVTK Jegesmedvek in the Erste Liga over six seasons. He has also played for the Hungarian National Team every year since 2009, including participating in the 2016 Olympic Qualifier, as well as the Men’s 2018 World D1A Championships. Altogether he has skated in 88 games for his home country.

ROANOKE, VA – The Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs announced on Friday two additions to the 2018-19 training camp roster. Forward Jeff Jones and defenseman Cam Bakker have each signed on and will be with the team for camp in October.

Jones played the 2017-18 season for Brest and Neuilly-sur-Marne in France’s second league. He opened with two goals in three games for Brest before playing 23 games for Neuilly-sur-Marne where he had 13 goals and 11 assists. Jones followed that up with nine goals and three assists in ten postseason games.

“Jones plays a fast, exciting style of hockey,” said Rail Yard Dawgs coach Dan Bremner. “He has a great scoring ability and is always willing to get into the gritty areas to produce offense.”

The British Columbia native last played in North America in 2016-17 when he combined for 20 goals and 23 assists over 52 games between the Huntsville Havoc and Peoria Rivermen. He was a teammate of Bremner during his 39-game stint in Peoria.

Bakker returns to Roanoke for his second professional season. A graduate of nearby Liberty University, Bakker played for the Flames from 2011-15 but did not make his professional debut until the 2017-18 season. He opened up with the FHL’s Cornwall Nationals and had three goals and 15 assists in 20 games before joining the Dawgs. The defenseman was a mainstay on the Roanoke blue line after signing in January and scored one goal along with 12 assists and a +4 rating over 26 games as a Rail Yard Dawg.

“Cam showed through half the season with us last year that he can be effective while playing a lot of minutes,” said Bremner. “I’ll be looking for him to step into a large role and become a big part of our foundation this year.”

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Nice to see Cam Bakker back. What I remember from Jeff Jones is that he destroyed us whenever we played Peoria the year before last. Glad to see another new face. Seems like most of our new guys have ties to Peoria. That can't be a bad thing. Liking how the signings are going so far!!!